Former King Juan Carlos I
Prosecutor opens investigation
Former King Juan Carlos I
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The public prosecutor’s office has dropped the investigation into ex-King Juan Carlos. There is not enough evidence for a criminal case, they say. Now Juan Carlos should think about a return to Spain.
Spanish Supreme Court prosecutors drop investigation into former King Juan Carlos I, 84. This is reported by the Spanish media, including “El Mundo”.
Juan Carlos wants to go back home
According to the documents signed by the chief prosecutor against corruption, Alejandro Luzón, the ministry believes that there is no solid evidence against the monarch emeritus to file a complaint with the criminal division of the Supreme Court.
In addition, prosecutors concluded that Juan Carlos de Borbón cannot be prosecuted because he was untouchable during his time as head of state. A statute of limitations is also mentioned.
In the filing, prosecutors listed three issues the former king was under investigation for: a possible link between payments and contracts to build a high-speed rail line between Mecca and Medina in Saudi Arabia, gifts from Mexican billionaire Allen Sanginés-Krause and the hidden fortune on the island of Jersey.
Juan Carlos is now said to be interested in returning to his home country.
The ex-king has lived in exile since 2020
Juan Carlos has been living in exile since 2020. The palace announced on August 3, 2020 that the former head of state was no longer in the country. A letter was published on the official website in which the ex-king declared his departure. After the Spanish Supreme Court opened an investigation in June, which included his involvement in the above-mentioned corruption affair, he said he wanted to avert greater damage to the palace’s reputation by leaving.
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Juan Carlos I was King of Spain from November 22, 1975 to June 18, 2014. The monarch had to abdicate because his alleged extramarital affairs, the scandal surrounding elephant hunting in Africa and the financial scandal surrounding son-in-law Iñaki Urdangarin, 55, had damaged the royal family’s reputation. Juan Carlos’ son Felipe VI, 54, and his wife Letizia, 49, have been the new royal couple since June 2014.
Sources used: elmundo.es